Domain name lookup

Please use the following domain name lookup form to check the availability of a domain name. The name can end in any of the international top level domains, not just those serviced by the InterNIC. Simply enter the domain name (i.e. internic.net, nominet.org.uk, nic.ch, etc) into the entry field below and select the "Lookup" button.

Domain name registration - some tips

A domain name should be easy to remember and spell correctly. If you can get a domain name that describes your business or interest (like "internet.com"), that is fine. Unfortunately most generic terms are already taken. Instead you could go for a non-generic domain name that does not describe what you offer, but that is distinctive ("amazon.com").

Having your essential keyword phrase in your domain name may increase your ranking slightly in the search engines ("domain-names.com"), mainly because it will cause the link text ot contain these keywords. However, the boost is very small, and we would not recommend that you get a new domain name just to get a better search engine position for that keyword phrase.

Remember that branding is an important part of a business strategy as well, and it is easier for surfers to remember -- for instance -- the URL google.com than online-search-engine-portal.com.

Moreover, search engines will probably reward domain names where the keywords are divided by an underscore (_) or a hyphen (-), which means that you would have to get the hyphenated as well as the unhyphenated version to make sure your visitors find you ("searchengines.com, search-engines.com").

If you select a non-generic term, check that this name is not a registered trademark for that type of products or services in your country (contact your local patent board). If you can, check the US as well. Then register your newfound domain name as your own trademark. This will make your position much stronger if there is a domain name dispute.

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